


Twelve Days of Yule

by thevalesofanduin



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Because there are, Christmas, Fili and Kili are clueless, M/M, Yule, and it's not really a party, did anyone realize how many birds are in 12 days of Christmas by the way?, more Bilbo pulling pranks, or well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 02:13:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thevalesofanduin/pseuds/thevalesofanduin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or rather, twelve days of punishment.</p><p>For Fili and Kili really shouldn't have made fun of Bilbo's Yule traditions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twelve Days of Yule

**Author's Note:**

> I had so much fun writing this! I'm still not entirely sure of the entire fic itself but here you go, have yourself a happy and hobbit-y Christmas!
> 
> Enjoy <3

He wakes up with a body plastered to his right and with a disturbingly lack of body pressed up against his left. He opens his eyes and glances to his left where Bilbo left an empty spot on the bed. He stretches his hand and feels the warmth of his lover still lingering on the mattress. 

So Bilbo’s only just gotten up.

He _could_ get up and find Bilbo to join him for either a bath or first – or second, Fili doesn’t quite keep count of Bilbo’s eating habbits – breakfast.

But then Kili snuggles against his side, face burying into the hollow of his neck while his arms cling tightly around his chest.

Well, Fili thinks, perhaps another morning.

 

When he wakes again the bed is empty, which is quite frustrating.

They don't often have a day "off", after all, but today is a lucky day where no meetings are planned for the morning - not for them to attend, in any case –and he would have loved to spend it in bed with both his lovers.

But such thing is not the case and he groans loudly in protest when he rolls over onto his stomach, turning his head to watch the left side of the bed where Kili is struggling into some pants.

“For Mahal’s sake, come back here.”

Kili pauses and shoots Kili an amused look. “Why? I hear Bilbo in the living-room.” He points out, making Fili aware that indeed there is noise – weird noise, too – coming from the next room. Kili smirks. “And you know I’ll always pick our hobbit over you.” He then leans over and kisses Fili’s cheek. “See you in a bit.” He grins and is about to turn around when they hear the door to their chambers open and close.

Kili blinks.

Fili pushes himself into a sitting position, smirking. “I think our hobbit has just left us.”

Kili frowns. “No he hasn’t, he’s just teasing us.” He says and quickly starts walking to the other room. “Right, Bilbo?”

With a laugh Fili lets himself fall back against the pillow. He’s got a feeling that Bilbo isn’t joking. He chuckles and turns over, ready to at least close his eyes for a few moments longer.

Then, suddenly, he hears Kili yell. "Fee!” He sounds slightly alarmed. “There is a fucking tree in our room.” Kili finishes.

Fili frowns and with a long sigh pushes himself out and out of bed. What’s going on anyway? He wonders as he makes his way to Kili.

Kili, who is meanwhile thinking out loud. “Do you know how - oh shit, shit a bird! FILI!"

Fili’s eyes widen and he rushes the last few steps to their living-room. When he stands in the doorway he freezes for a second before he bursts out laughing.

“FEE!” Kili screeches and tries to glare at his brother, which is sort of hindered by the bird that’s attacking his head.

Fili’s wheezing, tears in his eyes and leaning against the doorpost while his entire body shakes from laughter. He isn’t sure what Bilbo pulled, but he loves it.

“Fucking bird!” Kili yells, waving his arms around his head. The bird chirps in annoyance before flying away and settling down in the small tree standing next to the fireplace.

 _Huh_ , Fili thinks, still laughing. _That wasn’t there before._

Kili huffs and makes his way over to his brother, hitting him in the shoulder. “Stop laughing, you ass and go read the card.”

Fili blinks. “Card?”

Kili waves his hand into the direction of the fire-place. “There’s one on the tree. I tried to read it before that… spawn of Smaug started attacking me.”

Shaking his head, Fili walked over to the tree. “Surely he’s not that bad. He just smelled your morning breath and got annoyed.”

Behind him, Kili snorts.

Fili manages to get the note out of the tree – a few new holes in his hand courtesy of the beak of the spawn of Smaug himself – and waves it in front of Kili’s face with a smirk.

“Whatever.” Kili rolls his eyes and grabs the note from Fili’s hand. When he reads it, he frowns. “What the…”

“What’s it say?” 

“ **A partridge in a pear tree**.” He reads. 

Fili frowns and wonders: _where have I heard that before?_

\---

 

The next morning finds Kili waking up with both Bilbo and Fili still in bed.

He’s quite satisfied with that and is about to snuggle back against Bilbo’s back and preferably doze for a bit longer when he is disturbed by a loud knock on the door.

Next to him, Bilbo and Fili stir, fully awakening when from the other side of the door one of their guards announces loudly: “Breakfast is served, my Lords.”

Kili groans and reaches out to curl himself around Bilbo. “Let’s skip breakfast.” 

“Skip breakfast?” Bilbo asks suspiciously.

On Bilbo’s other side, Fili chuckles. He pushes himself up on his elbow so he can look at Kili over Bilbo’s shoulder. He has a smirk on his lips even as sleep still lingers in his gaze. “That is far from what you wished for yesterday.” He teases.

Kili hugs Bilbo closer. “Yesterday I didn’t have a hobbit next to me.”

“Well excuse me, but now you don’t either!” Bilbo wriggles himself out of Kili’s grasp with a laugh. “Breakfast is served.” He says and sets off to find clothing.

“But…” Kili’s face falls and he protests only to be slapped on the back by his brother.

“Breakfast, Kili!” Bilbo chides.

 

It doesn’t take them too long to make their way to the shared room of the royal wing, which mainly is one huge room with couches and a fireplace on one side and a big table on the other.

Thorin, Dis and Dwalin are already at the table eating breakfast and conversing softly.

Dis turns to the three the moment they enter and smirks. “Morning boys.” She greets and then turns a bit to wink at Bilbo with a smile. “Bilbo.”

“Lady Dis,” Bilbo bows his head with a wide smile and waves his hand at Dwalin and Thorin.

Fili and Kili frown at this for the exchange is quite strange indeed.

They glance at each other and in the end Kili shrugs and Fili just makes a face before the two follow Bilbo to the table.

Bilbo sat down at the table already, back to Fili and Kili and chatting with Dwalin who is sitting next to him. This leaves the other side of the table for the brothers.

They round the table but when they see the plates laid out for them they pause.

There’s a bird sitting on each of their plates, a note in the middle that with big, elegant letters says: **Two turtle doves**

Bilbo looked almost too smug for words, giving the brothers a smirk with his eyes twinkling from mirth.

Next to him, Dwalin starts laughing. “What’s that boys, cat got ya tongue?”

Bilbo chuckles and Dis smirks at her boys. Even Thorin is giving his nephews an amused look.

Kili frowns and stares at the dove wondering if it will attack him.

It’s looking at him as if it might.

He warily glances around the table. “Don’t tell me this is breakfast.”

Dwalin’s roaring laughter fills the room, drowning the sound of both Bilbo’s and Dis’ laughs and Thorin’s chuckle.

Kili looks a bit offended and embarrassed. “What?” He demands, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Next to him, Fili shakes his head. “Of course it’s not breakfast, idiot.” He chides.

“Hey!” Kili glares at his brother.

Fili just rolls his eyes and turns his eyes back to the table. “So you’re all in on it?”

Kili blinks, mind racing a mile a minute and then he gets it. He gasps and looks at the table with a glare. “Someone’s pulling a prank.”

“Bilbo is.” Fili points out.

 _Oh_ , he thinks. _Of course_.

“But… why!” Kili splutters. “And why birds?”

That’s the point at which their mother clacks her tongue and shakes her head, giving them both an amused look that makes it very obvious this is far from over. “Now boys, you both know it won’t be fair to ruin that surprise.”

“Mom, come on.” Kili whines.

Dis smirks. “No.”

\---

It’s early in the morning and Fili wants to be amused at Kili’s complete incompetence to even smell food right now if he weren’t almost falling asleep in his porridge himself.

He wonders exactly why Bilbo had to leave for Dale with Balin before the crack of dawn. As Bilbo had scoffed not an hour ago, if Kili and him hadn’t been drinking yesterday or hadn’t insisted on getting up with Bilbo to wave him off for his trip, their predicament would have been less worse.

But they had and now they are both all but sleeping at the breakfast table to the annoyance of both Thorin and their mother and the great amusement of Dwalin.

“So what birds did ya find this morn’?” Dwalin asks around a mouthful of bread and eggs.

At this, Kili perks up next to him. “None!” He proclaims proudly and happily. He takes a bite of a dry piece of bread, pointing out: “Why would we? Bilbo isn’t here so no harassment of birds.”

At Kili’s words, Thorin raises an eyebrow, Dis snorts and Dwalin laughs.

It gives Fili a bad feeling about all of this.

“Yet.” He mumbles into his next mouthful of porridge.

 

It’s late that night when Fili returns to their rooms.

Bilbo is still in Dale, spending the might there as to provide Balin and him with some more time for negotiations about trading contracts with Dale – or catching up with Bard, but of course that’s not the reason given upon their departure.

Kili is, Fili suspects, already in bed and as dead to the world as he always is when sleeping.

 

He opens the door and freezes.

He’s a trained warrior now, ready for any sort of combat and very much able to defend himself.

But seeing Kili chase after **three Mirkwood hens** leaves him absolutely dumbstruck.

“Fee, for fuck’s sake help me get rid of these!” Kili yells in frustration.

It definitely gets Fili out of his stupor and in a moment of brightness he opens the door wide and steps aside. “Chase them here, I’ll shut the door.”

At Fili’s voice, one of the hens flies up and perches itself upon the bookcase, glaring at them now that he’s perched safely up high.

Kili meanwhile chases the other two to the door. One attempts to fly only to crash straight into the wall while the other runs out of the room.

At least one is out.

Or that’s what Fili thought! Because while Kili’s getting a chair to remove the glaring hen from the bookcase and Fili is all but kicking at the one now in a panic from his collision with the wall the third hen saunters into the room again as if it doesn’t have a care in the world.

When Fili catches sight of it, he wants to scream.

\---

“No…” Kili gasps. His eyes are wide and all he can do is stare at the four little, black birds circling along the ceiling of their study.

“What?” He hears Fili yell from the other room.

Kili turns around, marches to the door and steps out of the room, closing said door behind him before looking up at his brother with an irritated frown.

Fili gets it straight away, sighing. “Don’t tell me…”

Kili nods. “More fucking birds.”

Fili, sitting in one of the big chairs in front of the fireplace, sighs. He puts down his book. He can see how this is fun for Bilbo – and really for anyone else involved. Except for them.

When Bilbo returns tonight they’ll have to talk. He wants to ask Bilbo to either explain himself or stop this madness. And if he doesn’t want to do that – Bilbo’s quite stubborn after all - then at least he’ll ask him to please, please stop with the birds!

Speaking of which… 

He looks at Kili who by now has walked over to him and sits down onto the armrest of the chair, leaning heavily against Fili and pressing his cheek against his brother’s shoulder, arms winding around Fili’s belly. 

“What kind of birds were they?” Fili asks. At least when he knows exactly what birds they are given he can maybe figure out the link between them.

“I don’t know. Birds.” Kili shrugs. When Fili sighs he adds: “Black ones. Tiny, black birds.”

Fili rolls his eyes. Really, his brother can be quite useless sometimes.

Then suddenly the door opens and both brothers turn to look at the entrance of their rooms to find Bilbo standing there, watching them with a smug smile on his face.

“Colly birds.” Bilbo says with a smirk on his lips.

But it’s drowned by Kili’s cry of: “Bilbo, you’re back!”

Kili is off of the chair in the blink of an eye and hugs Bilbo close like he’s been gone for ages rather than just a night.

Fili is close behind, hugging Bilbo as well, burying his head into the other’s gold-like curls and breathing in his scent.

After everything that happened, they’re just so scared of losing Bilbo.

 

After a few moments, though, Fili frowns. “Wait,” He says, keeping a hand in Bilbo’s hair but leaning back a bit so he can curiously peek at their lover. “What did you say when you entered?”

Bilbo smirks again. “I said colly birds. Because that’s what they are, **four colly birds**.”

Fili’s frown deepens. Colly birds. It sounds so familiar.

But all thoughts of trying to find out more about this prank of Bilbo are gone when Kili starts dragging Bilbo to the seat in front of the fire and asks him how his trip has been.

They put Bilbo – who is happily chatting away – in the seat while they sit on each of the armrests, crowding the other and fingers intertwining with Bilbo’s.

Bilbo chuckles but happily rambles on. About the negotiations, about Bard and how him and his children are doing and that Bard had been kind enough to offer Bilbo a bed for the night if Bilbo ever wished to visit as a friend rather than part of a delegation from Erebor. 

Fili and Kili share a look over Bilbo’s head at the statement. They’ll definitely need to ask Balin about this offer of Bard later.

 

They end up talking for a while before Bilbo yawns and announces it’s time to retire for the night.

Fili and Kili readily agree – there will be enough time for talk about Bilbo’s journey and the “gifts” later – and the three move to the bedroom to change into their sleeping clothes.

Bilbo is unbuttoning his shirt when he starts humming to himself.

It’s a tune that Fili has heard before, slightly familiar but he doesn’t quite know what for.

Kili is frowning as well.

Then, though, Fili’s eyes widen. He knows that song, all right. It’s the same one Bilbo sung not too long ago. The one they made fun off because it sounded ridiculous. The one that started with the words _A partridge in a pear tree._

Kili seems to have realized the same, for the mutters under his breath: “We shouldn’t have made fun of his hobbit-y Yule traditions.”

Fili can’t help but agree. “Yeah…” He trails off and then towards Bilbo with a smile on his lips. “So, Bilbo, as you’re humming it now maybe it would be fun to sing the song as well.”

Kili holds a hopeful breath. _Please_ , he prays. It’ll be the only way for them to find out what the heck is coming other than the fucking birds they’ve already received.

Bilbo laughs. “In your dreams.”

\---

The next day they find a box with a neat bow on the small table at the fireplace.

Fili and Kili are cautious for surely there aren’t any birds this small but at this point it’s not beyond Bilbo to get them a egg that’s ready to hatch.

It’s Kili that lifts the lid and he gasps – pleasant surprise, Fili would recognize that sound everywhere.

Fili steps closer and peers into the box, too. he, too, can only stare very happily at the **five golden rings** in the box – each beautifully crafted and definitely dwarf-made.

They both agree that Bilbo must be making it up to them with this after last night.

They think him properly that night with kisses and touches and by the sounds of it – and Bilbo’s own fair share of given kisses and touches – Bilbo is quite grateful for their thank-you.

It’s good, like always, and when the three of them settle to sleep for the night in a heap of limbs and hair, Fili and Kili are both happy the nightmare with the birds is finally over.

 

That feeling lasts only until the next day.

They arrive to the training grounds where their “teams” of new soldiers to be trained – children, really, and some of them are as awkward with a sword as Bilbo – are waiting on them.

But there is more waiting on them than just that.

For there are actually **six geese laying** on the training grounds.

Fili sighs, Kili is shouting for Bilbo and their pupils are beyond amused by the entire situation.

They aren’t anymore, however, when Fili and Kili make them catch all the geese as a form of exercise.

\---

He steps into the bathroom, having every intention of taking a long soak in the bathtub. 

He grabs a towel, throws it into the direction of the bathtub and he sheds his pants.

“Kee, you coming?” He yells into the bedroom, stifling a yawn.

“Don’t yell.” Kili groans from the other room.

Fili rolls his eyes. Well, he has to admit he feels pretty bad himself. But at least the party had been a damned good one – how Bilbo managed to get up early, though, is beyond him and also very unfair.

He turns and steps towards the bath only to freeze in his tracks.

His eyes widen and he takes a nervous step back.

 _Fuck this!_ He thinks.

“Kee, better not come in here.” He says, his voice softer now, hushed almost but with a lot more urgency to it than before. 

_I should’ve known!_ He angrily thinks. With what they drank last night they must’ve been pretty dead to the world. Bilbo hadn’t drank all that much. And with his note left on the nightstand – having breakfast, left you to sleep it off. Take a relaxing bath and I’ll see you loves later – Fili should have known!

_Fuck!_

“Why? Is something –” Kili’s voice gets louder the closer he gets only to falter completely when he stands in the doorway, glaring at the **seven swans swimming** in their huge bath. “What in Mahal’s name… More birds! I swear I would’ve remembered it if Bilbo’s song mentioned this many birds!”

At the yell, their new roommates in the bath perk up, dark eyes turning to the brothers in the doorway.

“Keep your voice down, Kee. They’re not just birds.”

Kili huffs angrily, shaking his head. “They got wings, they’re birds. More of them! I swear I might even kill Bilbo for this!”

“Kili.” Fili hisses, turning to glare at his brother.

“Aren’t you sick of this? Sure the rings were nice but all the fucking birds?” Kili continues stubbornly, shaking his head.

“Kili!” Fili all but yells.

“What?!” Kili yells in return.

“These aren’t just birds. They are swans! Swans! They attack you when they feel threatened.” Fili shakes his head in exasperation. Sometimes it would be good if Kili just listened to him so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice.

Kili, meanwhile, looks at the bath with wide eyes.

He steps back.

That’s when Fili hears the rustling of wings and when Kili starts to run away he doesn’t have to look back to know what’s happening.

If only he hadn’t taken his pants off yet, he thinks while running down the hall fleeing away from seven fucking swans with Kili yelling at him: “Look at what you did! Just look!”

\---

The brothers’ run through the royal wing while being chased by swans is a story they know they’ll hear for years to come.

Especially when that night there is a dinner party for the old company of Thorin Oakenshield and everyone is having a very good laugh at their expense.

Even more so when everyone learns that both Fili and Kili have completely forgotten the text to the song Bilbo sang to them only two weeks ago.

It had been a joke, they thought. A stupid song made up for laughs. When they told Bilbo so, the hobbit had looked at them with big eyes and just gaped. It was then that they realized their mistake. Even more so when Bilbo agitatedly explained it was a traditional Jule song in the Shire. How it was _tradition_ – and everyone knew how much Bilbo loved his traditions. When Bilbo shrugged it off later, smiling and eyes twinkling, they knew they were in for trouble.

Turns out, they are.

Especially since despite their begging – _please_ Ori, _please_ – and bribing – it’s a good deal, master Nori – at the end of the evening they are none-the-wiser and everyone is just a tad bit more smug about it all – or a lot smugger in some cases – than they were at the beginning of the evening.

 

So nothing could have prepared them for the next big stunt.

A stunt for which Bilbo has charmed his way into the good graces of the entire population of Erebor, it seems! For how else could he have cleared almost the entire market, replacing the stalls usually there selling goods with cows.

_Cows!_

It is not all that strange that both Fili and Kili stand there, gaping at the sight. Especially so when there’s a dwarrowdam sitting on a little stool at every cow.

**Eight dwarrowdams milking**

“What in the name of Mahal!” Fili cries.

He turns to one of the merchants. The one closest to him and his brother and who has a big grin on his face. “Mind explaining to us what is going on?”

“Of course, young princes.” The merchant respectfully bows his head as he moves closer to the pair. He looks at the middle of the market square. “Is’ a gift from yer fiancé.” He then shrugs. “Nuttin’ much else he said ‘bout it.”

Kili frowns. “Gift?” He exclaims and stretches out a hand to the cows, shaking his head. “What do we do with it?”

The merchant laughs. “Beats me!”

\---

They might’ve gone through it eight times already and thus think they are prepared.

But nothing, absolutely nothing could have possibly prepared them for what happened on the ninth day of Bilbo’s prank – or gift-giving, but Fili and Kili preferred prank.

They are cautious the moment they see a note pinned to the door of their rooms.

**Nine ladies dancing**

Well, they look at each other and silently decide that at least that can’t be all that bad. In fact, this one might be fun and they can even join in for a dance!

Fun it is indeed they find out when the door swings open, but Fili and Kili won’t be enjoying any dances.

Not because they are horrified or because this is a bad prank.

Oh no, it is quite glorious and quite worth all that they have been through and both brothers spend a good portion of the night laughing. And when the laughing subsides and someone tries to talk they burst out in laughter again.

How on earth Bilbo got this done, they don’t know. They want to know, though, oh do they! Because it’s smart, sneaky and a lot of blackmailing must surely have been involved to get Bofur, Bombur, Bifur, Ori, Nori, Dori, Balin, Dwalin and Oin to put on a dress and dance.

Whatever bribing Bilbo has done, Fili and Kili both agree it’s worth it.

They are, unfortunately, the only ones in the room.

\---

That morning Bilbo, Balin, Fili and Kili leave for Dale with a few guards. It’s the last trip of quite a few made in the past months and in the next two days Bilbo and Balin will wrap up the last bits of negotiations and officially sign the trade-contracts now approved by Thorin. 

Tomorrow, a dinner will be held in celebration of their agreements and a party is always a good excuse for Fili and Kili to want to go. So of course they used it as an excuse to go along, not mentioning that really all they wanted was to make sure Bard knew Bilbo was very much taken.

When they arrive at Dale a short trip later, Bard is at the gates, waiting for them with a wide smile.

He clasps them all on the shoulder, welcoming them to Dale and he does not in the least look surprised to see Fili and Kili. In fact, he smirks when he sees them and winks at Bilbo.

This unsettles the Durin brothers quite a lot and they crowd Bilbo almost instantly. 

With Bilbo firmly tucked in-between them, Bard leads the way through town. 

Bilbo is happily chatting with the man, asking him questions about his children and in turn Bard asks questions about Bilbo’s life.

Even though they know there is most likely nothing to be worried about, it does make Fili and Kili extremely jealous in only a way that dwarves can be. 

Everyone notices and Bilbo is starting to get annoyed, mumbling to himself and wondering out loud why Fili and Kili had come in the first place if this is how they are going to be.

It is then that Balin steps forward and leads Bilbo to the back of their party while Bard takes another step and settles in the spot previously occupied by Bilbo.

Fili and Kili both step to the side and glare at the man.

“Do you see that over there.” Bard says and points towards where a small stream flows through the city, young lads jumping over it.

Fili and Kili frown. “What does it have to do with anything?” Kili demands – Fili full-heartedly agreeing with the question although he still flinches at the mere rudeness of addressing their host and Lord of Dale like that.

Bard chuckles. “Peace, I mean no harm.” He shakes his head, looking serious for a moment. But then his eyes fall upon the boys again and he looked amused within a second. “Those **ten boys leaping** over the creek was a request of your fiancé.” Bard says and continues to explain the favor Bilbo asked of him last time he visited Dale. How he had said that for his next visit Fili and Kili were bound to join and if he could please arrange the scene now happening in front of them.

When Fili and Kili confront Bilbo about it later he looks awfully smug, proclaiming that he was very happy with himself for having actually 

achieved this considering he had to rely on Bard to know for certain that it all was set up properly.

“But how did you know we would come?” Fili asks.

Bilbo laughs. “Well, with what I told you about Bard!” Bilbo shakes his head with a grin. “Of course you’d come.”

Kili looks shocked. “You mean he didn’t make you that offer?” 

“Not like that.” Bilbo shakes his head. “He did say I was welcome to visit whenever I wanted and that he’d be happy to have you two over as well. That’s what he said.”

Fili huffs and shakes his head. “You’re a sly one, Bilbo. Very sly.” He then gives Bard a look. “And we might have to apologize to Bard for being very rude.”

 

Bard, of course, forgives them easily and readily when they apologize the next day at the feast held in celebration of contracts signed and alliances made.

He laughs at the flustered explanation, the awkward looks and clasps both dwarfs on the shoulder with a wide grin, offering them beer.

They both happily accept and spend a great deal of the night sitting next to Bard, drinking and having quite a good time. Indeed, both brothers think, they can see why Bilbo is friends with the man.

Somewhere during the night a group of children filters into the room. They stand in front of the table Fili and Kili are seated at with Bard, Bilbo and Balin, in a neat line. They have instruments – they have to be, even though they look awfully strange – and when Bilbo nods they start playing their… sacks.

Fili nearly spits out his ale and Kili is grabbing the edge of the table to keep from toppling off of his chair in surprise when they hear the tune.

Their heads snap to Bilbo straight away.

Bilbo who is sitting on a chair – perched on a few pillows to accommodate his height – and looking at the brothers with a smirk. “ **Eleven pipers piping**.”

Fili takes a big gulp of ale.

Kili shakes his head and groans. “When does this end?”

\---

The night of the twelfth day of torture - _Yule_ they can hear Bilbo chide in the back of their minds – Bilbo has organized something.

The brothers have been banned from the royal quarters all day and are by now quite curious.

They’ve been told to come at nightfall, dressed nicely.

It’s nightfall and both are wearing quite fancy clothes decorated with the Durin emblem in fancy, gold embroidery. 

They now stand in front of the door to the royal quarters.

Kili glances at his brother a bit nervously. “Are we sure we want to do this?”

Fili chuckles. “Of course we do. It’s still Bilbo, he loves us too much to actually do something that causes bodily harm.”

Kili snorts. “Remember the birds?” He shoots back.

Fili rolls his eyes. “Accidental, I’m sure.” He shrugs. He then reaches out a hand to intertwine his fingers with Kili. “Here we go.” He says and opens the door.

“All or nothing.” Kili mumbles next to him.

The door opens and both brothers are, yet again, stunned into silence.

This time, however, it’s in a good way.

Because the royal quarters have been decorated with all the things Bilbo’s talked about. Reds, greens, there is holly and mistletoe, a big tree with ornaments in it, red bows around branches and so many candles litter the room it’s like they’re standing outside in the sun!

A fire roars in the hearth and next to it – in-between the hearth and the delicious smelling pine tree – lays a heap of presents. All are wrapped, name-tags hanging from them.

But what’s perhaps best of all is the table. For the occasion, it’s been extended and all the dwarves that joined Thorin and them on their quest to reclaim Erebor are there. Their companions, their friends.

And at the far back at the head of the table sits not Thorin, but Bilbo. He is grinning widely and proudly and as Fili and Kili near the table the entire company starts drumming their hands against the table in the by now oh-so familiar tune. 

**Twelve companions drumming** the tune of Bilbo teaching them to not mock his traditions.

The tune of being attacked by birds and having to go through enough awkward and embarrassing situations to last them a lifetime.

The tune to a song which ends with a great feast in hobbit Yule-style, with lots of delicious foods and a lot of gifts for everyone. Where everyone drinks and stories are told. Where everyone sings and dances and has a good time. 

So when they’re eating and Fili is on Bilbo’s right and Kili is on his left and Bilbo mutters a soft apology for taking some of the gifts perhaps a bit too far, the brothers are quick to shut him up.

It’s their own fault, after all.

Besides, the ending is perfect and the overall ordeal was awkward, funny and witty with food and gifts at the end.

It’s Yule the hobbit way and it is so very like Bilbo – who looks absolutely happy – that Kili can’t help himself when he jokes he might even go through it all again next year if this is what it ends with.

The gleam in Bilbo’s eyes makes Fili hit his brother, fearing for the next year although all three of them know that as long as they’re together, no-one really minds.


End file.
